unconscious

[uhn-kon-shuhs]

adjective

1. not conscious; without awareness, sensation, or cognition.

2. temporarily devoid of consciousness.

3. not perceived at the level of awareness; occurring below the level of conscious thought.

   an unconscious impulse.

4. not consciously realized, planned, or done; without conscious volition or intent.

   an unconscious social slight.

5. not endowed with mental faculties.

   the unconscious stones.

noun

1. Psychoanalysis.,  the unconscious, the part of the mind containing psychic material that is only rarely accessible to awareness but that has a pronounced influence on behavior.

unconscious

/ ʌnˈkɒnʃəs /

adjective

1. lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible

2. not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etc

   unconscious of his bad manners

3. characterized by lack of awareness or intention

   an unconscious blunder

4. coming from or produced by the unconscious

   unconscious resentment

noun

1. psychoanal the part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available for direct examination See also collective unconscious Compare subconscious preconscious

unconscious

1. The part of the psyche lying far below consciousness and not easily raised into consciousness. In Freudian psychology, the unconscious cannot be directly observed with the conscious mind, but it has its own processes and deeply affects conscious thought.

Other Word Forms

• unconsciously adverb
• unconsciousness noun
• quasi-unconscious adjective
• self-unconscious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unconscious¹

First recorded in 1705–15; 1915–20 unconscious for def. 6; un- ¹ + conscious

Example Sentences

Knocking Rashad unconscious and stuffing him in a trunk in the back of his van, Vahid quickly drives around town tracking down others who were tortured by Peg Leg.

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The most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on 14 September, his family has said.

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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel cited released hostage Maya Regev as saying that Illouz was "kidnapped unconscious and lay alone for a whole week, tied to his bed."

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At 21:23, a member of staff found her unconscious on the floor of her room, having had a cardiac arrest.

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One video showed a crowd pulling him from the tank unconscious and injured.

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Related Words

• innate 
• instinctive 
• latent 
• lost 
• repressed 
• subliminal 
• suppressed